The discovery of Marguerite Duras was truly a revelation for me.

I first came across her when I delved into the screenplay of Hiroshima, Mon Amour. Reading a screenplay offers a different experience than a novel, yet there was an enhanced sense of immediacy regarding the internal conflicts at play. Gone were the typical tropes for character introduction and scene-setting. Instead, I was presented with a story that unfolded gradually, as if I were an observer in the corner of the characters' lives for a few days. In Hiroshima, through a series of conversations, we uncovered the heroine's tragic past love and the humiliating punishment that followed.

Reading Hiroshima, Mon Amour prepared me for Moderato Cantabile by introducing some of Duras' trademarks, such as extended one-on-one conversations between a man and a woman, suppressed emotions, and the emotional cost of social mores. Moderato Cantabile was Duras' first financial success and is credited with launching her career. The setting is vague, an unnamed factory town presumably in France, lacking the regulars from her Indochinese novels. The leading character, Anne, is the bourgeois wife of the richest man in town, a fact we discover as the story progresses.

The story begins with Anne enduring her son's piano lesson at Mademoiselle Giraud's apartment. The lesson is interrupted by a distant scream, and Anne and her son witness a crowd gathered outside a local cafe where a woman was murdered in broad daylight. Like in a noir crime novel, Anne starts talking to a man who witnessed the crime, but this is where Duras' psychological drama takes over. The man is Chauvin, an unemployed factory worker. Anne and Chauvin don't introduce themselves initially, but when they meet again at the cafe the next day, a strange trust develops between them.

My first impression was that Anne and Chauvin had a past illicit affair, and their reunion at the murder scene was accidental. Anne seems to seize on this relationship as a way to break the monotony of her life and escape her husband's influence. The conversations between them bring about an awareness and desperation in Anne, culminating in an embarrassing faux pas at a dinner party. Social standing and scandals are crucial in Duras' novels, and here we see the gradual pressures that cause characters to fall out of favor. Anne risks being shunned for her semi-affair with Chauvin, but she walks into town to be seen with him, seeking the freedom she perceives in others.

In this novel set in France, there is no explicit theme of colonization, but there is the theme of domination, suppression, and the emotional toll on the privileged. I relish books like this because they are the result of the author's struggle to come to terms with life's troubles. Duras expects readers to put in some effort, as her novels feature long passages of conversation without captions. However, the extra effort is worth it as the characters embark on self-discovery missions driven by personal realizations, not external ones.

I read Marguerite Duras' novel (Yesterday) by Agota Kristof?

Didn't you notice the similarities between the styles of Agota and Marguerite?

where the heroes of their novels are haunted by spirits,

and are involved in critical life situations that drive them to crime.

All their spirits are empty and broken by life,

and at the same time they are looking for a love story to live, even if it is against all the straight paths in life.

Why are most love and arousal stories outside the normal path?

As in Agota's novel Yesterday and Paulo Coelho's novel The Alchemist?

Even Selin Aheren's novel How to Fall in Love shares with other novels the same idea,

which is the one that most meaningful novels revolve around.

In general, Marguerite gave me the feeling of a closed and narrow circle,

as Ann Débaryd keeps going to the café and drinking wine,

with Chauvin every day,

and most of their silent conversations and some of the ellipses make me feel as if I am

on a wave that is pounding with force!

Why, Marguerite, did you repeat the same scene for the thirtieth time!

I think she wanted the reader to experience the same moments

and the life that Ann lived, with its repetition and boring routine.

The turning point is Ann's haste to return to her father's house

whenever the warning signals go off and announce the end of work.

So where is the problem?!

Surely it lies in the return of her husband, the owner and manager of the factories, to the house,

and also most of the workers frequent the same café.

This novel is very moving!

For between its division into the philosophy of the self and silent grief,

and what it contains of a high degree of deprivation,

we find the writer opening the door of her novel to the realm of love,

the unlikely love, regardless of the possibility of its occurrence.

And in this novel, we find in short that the main character,

a murderer kills his lover based on her desire.

_This is what the novel will be based on in most of its chapters,

where every day Ann goes to the café where the crime took place

to talk to Mr. Chauvin about the crime

and her insistence on asking him about the nature of the motives that led to

such an end, in addition to the assumptions they made_

Far from the prologue that was presented differently and far from

the main idea of the novel,

which is Marguerite's story about Mrs. Ann Débaryd and her son

who is learning the piano from Miss Giraud, who has no mercy

for distractions or lack of talent or the desire to learn the piano.

For as soon as the reader's eye falls on the name of the novel and the repetition of the trained

for those two words "Moderato Cantabile",

the reader thinks that the main idea and the connecting thread lies between them,

but this is not entirely true.

Then it is a terrible thing that the meaning of Moderato Cantabile

is a gentle and slow,

that is, the performance of musical movements in a moderate way.

What a deception!

One hundred and thirty-one pages that have no real connection to gentle and slow!

Madame Ann is the wife of a rich man and lives in a villa,

and there is a big social gap between Madame Ann and the other characters in the novel,

especially the working class, most of whom work for her husband,

who is the manager of an import and export company on the coast.

The time and place ratio is also not clear,

as are the heroes of her novel, which is natural.

All that is clear is that the season is late spring and the place is near the sea.

What is also interesting:

_ Ann's relationship with her son,

_ her relationship with the magnolia tree and its known charming scent,

and yet Ann complained about it to Chauvin when she told him she closed the windows,

_ her relationship with wine, which she could not bear to talk to Chauvin without drinking,

_ the old woman who owns the café and her looks at Ann and Chauvin and her teasing

most of the time when she is not serving the customers.

The seventh and eighth chapters are different from the previous chapters,

where some adventure emerges, some colors flow,

and some cruel actions and behaviors appear.

Quotes:

_ Think of a song that is sung to you to put you to sleep p.16

_ I tried to find out more but I still don't know anything p.40

_ She was dead but she was still smiling happily p.58

_ The time we have is so short that I don't want it p.78

_ A destiny has sprouted at the tip of her fingers p.95

Note:

The novel was filmed as a feature film in 1960,

directed by Peter Brook,

starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jeanne Moreau,

runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes.

Title of the book: Moderato Cantabile "Novel"

Author: Marguerite Duras

Translation: Nihad Al-Tekrli

Year of publication of the original edition: 1958

First Arabic edition: 1972, Republic of Iraq

Second edition: 2016

Publisher: Dar Al-Zaman, Amman, Jordan

Number of pages: 131

Rating: 5/3 stars.

Reading: Electronic.

Nadia Ahmed

15 February 2019

A bourgeois woman is married to a company manager. She has a son and lives an orderly and monotonous life.

After an incident where a woman is killed in a coffee shop, she gets to know a man and they start talking about the details of the crime. It turns out that the man is one of her husband's employees.

The story is clichéd and repetitive.

The style is different, simple yet mysterious. It is very detective-like. The author refrains from psychological analysis of the characters and describes their thoughts, feelings, and intentions.

The text is self-contained.

Their conversations are interspersed with a lot of silence, the sound of the sea, music, the afterglow of the sunset, and the drinking of wine.

To understand, one must pay attention and listen to what is not said.

It is a boring and forgettable novel.

Overall, this story lacks originality and depth. The repetitive plot and the lack of character development make it a rather uninteresting read. However, the author's use of silence and the description of the environment do add a certain atmosphere to the story. It could potentially be improved with more detailed characterizations and a more engaging plot.

Théo, this critique is for you, because I know how much this book inhabits you. I hope it can capture all its intensity and depth.

Imagine Marguerite Duras listening to the Diabelli Sonatina. The setting sun, a red sky. Between vigilance and drowsiness.

A woman, Anne Desbaresdes; a child, her son. They walk. The child goes to piano lessons. The teacher is austere. The child is obstinate, even rebellious. The child is more interested in the sounds of the street and the sea that come in through the window. More appealing than the slow rhythm of the moderate Cantabile. There is a tension between discipline, conformity, and freedom, challenging social norms.

The complexities of desire and alienation are presented through Anne Desbaresdes, a woman emotionally abandoned by her husband and imprisoned by the conventions of the bourgeoisie. As she educates her son, Anne reflects that this process is an "endless birth", a continuous effort to balance the expected and the unexpected. The mother wants so many things for the child, but doesn't know how to do it or where to start. Through piano lessons that will keep the child away from the masculine vices of authoritarianism or emotional violence?

The walks at the end of the day, marked by the sunset, symbolize the end of cycles and a silent search for change. A crime. A woman dies. The mother also feels dead and afraid. She doesn't sleep. She drinks wine. She talks to a stranger. A dialogue of half words. The child plays in the street. The child doesn't want to continue studying piano but, one, then two scales in G major, were raised out of love for the mother. The mother says how much she likes him. Sometimes, she thinks she invented the child.

The way back home is long. The mother cries, and the child says that at night, the houses are far away. The child swallows a ray of the sun. Later, there will be a social dinner. Anne doesn't eat, tormented by another hunger. Through the windows of the room, an excessive smell of flowers enters at night.

With a title that ironically contrasts with the intense emotions of the narrative, Duras presents a work that invites reflection on motherhood, marriage, desire, and resistance, leaving the reader immersed in the search for a meaning.

"It's not worth trying to understand. There are things that one never comes to understand."

Duras. Duras being Duras.

The text is intoxicated.

It seems to be in a state of ecstasy or perhaps under the influence of some powerful substance. The words themselves may be swirling around, losing their normal coherence and taking on a life of their own.

Maybe the author is trying to convey a sense of wild abandon or a break from the ordinary. Or perhaps it's a reflection of a moment of intense emotion that has overcome them.

Whatever the reason, the intoxicated text draws the reader in, making them curious to explore its depths and try to understand the meaning hidden within its chaotic words.

It's a reminder that language can be a powerful tool, capable of evoking strong emotions and taking us on unexpected journeys.

I am really sorry that I have to announce again that the translation of the book is bad! Mr. Translator, so much of the book's space was translated badly and so many words you used were incomprehensible that sometimes I would read four or five pages and not understand anything, and I had to read it again. And at that time, I realized that I couldn't understand half of what people were saying! The idea of the story was good and beautiful, but I have to admit with honesty that I understood this "idea of the story" from an article at the back of the book, and throughout the book, I didn't exactly understand what was going on.

Oh my God! :/

This is my first reading of the writer Marguerite Duras' "Short Story." There is something strange about it. If Duras didn't take the trouble to convey her ideas to the reader completely or directly, she weaved half the blanket and left the other half to your mind! It's strange... I didn't understand it! And at that time, I couldn't get rid of it. I had the leisure to develop the scattered relationships, especially those that were brought together by the two of them. And this lady who is afraid of leaving the coffee shop by herself as if there is no one else. A scattered text only leaves you with confusion touching your mind.

What after reading? There is some rejection that is acceptance, even if it is not obvious.

#alphabetofjoy 3/5

I used to be an extremely smart person. In fact, I was so intelligent that I could effortlessly read French classics that had inspired new-wave adaptations, and what's more, I could do it all IN FRENCH.

It was truly an amazing feat that set me apart. However, as time has passed, I find that I am no longer as smart as I once was.

This realization has led me to embark on a series where I review books that I read a long time ago. Through this process, I not only get to revisit those wonderful literary works but also yearn for my bygone youth.

It's a bittersweet journey, as I look back on the person I used to be and the knowledge and skills that I once possessed. But perhaps, in reflecting on the past, I can find a way to reignite that spark of intelligence and once again become the smart person I used to be.

Apparently, all the importance of this short novel and the author's masterpiece lies in its language and its delicacies, which, unfortunately, have been lost by everyone due to the wretched translation of the late Seyed Hosseini.

This short novel seems to have been overshadowed by the poor translation. The original language and the fine details that made it a masterpiece have been overlooked. It's a pity that such a great work has not been properly presented to the readers.

Maybe if a more accurate and sensitive translation could be done, people would be able to appreciate the true beauty and essence of this short novel. The language and the subtleties within it deserve to be explored and understood in their original form.

Until then, this short novel will remain somewhat of a mystery, hidden behind the veil of a faulty translation.

Impressive.

The strong style of Marguerite Duras can be vividly seen in this little novel. Her unique writing approach immediately grabs the reader's attention and draws them into the story. The language she uses is powerful and evocative, painting a vivid picture in the reader's mind.

The characters in the novel are complex and multi-dimensional, with their own desires, fears, and flaws. Duras delves deep into their psyches, exploring their inner turmoil and the relationships between them.

The plot of the novel is also engaging, filled with unexpected twists and turns that keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Despite its short length, the novel manages to convey a profound message about love, loss, and the human condition.

Overall, this little novel is a testament to Marguerite Duras' remarkable talent as a writer. Her strong style and ability to create a captivating story make this a must-read for any lover of literature.

Interesante novela!

La verdad se me hizo bastante corta y hasta cierto punto algo confusa. Aunque entiendo perfectamente que ese era el punto.

Aparte de percibir a su hijo como una forma de rebelión a lo que ella no estaba dispuesta a entregarse al 100%, no he podido captar demasiado bien los sentimientos que deseaba transmitir la autora. Además de este anhelo por una pasión que podría resultar hasta mortal.

Diría que no me ha convencido del todo, pero si que es interesante. Y a lo que a mí respecta eso es por lo que consumo literatura.

It's an interesting novel! Truly, it seemed rather short to me and to a certain extent, a bit confusing. However, I completely understand that was the intention. Besides perceiving her son as a form of rebellion against what she wasn't willing to fully commit to, I haven't been able to clearly grasp the feelings the author wanted to convey, apart from this longing for a passion that could even be fatal. I would say it didn't completely convince me, but it is indeed interesting. And as far as I'm concerned, that's why I consume literature.

His behavior towards her implies as if it no longer matters to him whether she is alive or dead since that moment.

Do you think it is possible to reach such a degree through a means other than despair?


This situation seems rather complex and concerning. The way he treats her gives the impression that his attitude has completely changed. It makes one wonder what could have led to such a drastic shift.

Perhaps there are underlying issues or events that have caused him to feel this way. It could be a result of misunderstandings, betrayals, or other factors.

As for the question of whether it is possible to reach this level without despair, it is a difficult one to answer. Despair often has a profound impact on a person's emotions and actions.

However, there may be other circumstances or states of mind that could also lead to a similar level of indifference. It could be due to exhaustion, disillusionment, or a loss of hope in the relationship.

In conclusion, the situation described is a cause for concern, and further exploration is needed to understand the true nature of his behavior and the possible reasons behind it.